30 Years
by f3296
Summary: Thirty years, thirty years it's been like this. Running, hiding, fighting, hunting. A cycle that he or his brothers could never seem to break. Each suffered, each fought, and each were ended. But their legacy lives on in the eyes of millions. One-shot for the 30th anniversary of the Ninja Turtle Franchise.


_This one goes out to the lonely, This one goes out to the broken ones, This one goes out to the angels, Fallin' from the sky, This one goes out to your brother, This one goes out to your mother, This one goes out to your sister, And this one's for you_

_And all the lovers and believers, And the ones who've been betrayed, To all the fighters, all the dreamers, And the ones who've not been saved- For All The Lovers, By: Stanfour_

* * *

The only light that could be seen was the glimmering shine of the candle that was melting away on the cardboard it sat on. The hole they sat in was small, consuming their very being. The only sounds that could be heard was the bashing sound of the rain hammering down on the cold floor and their makeshift roof and the sound of wheezing breaths, echoing in the small cavern they hid.

Leonardo leaned against the wall of the small refuge, listening to the breathing of his brother, gazing into the flickering light. His sharp hearing caught the sound of distant steps. He peaked his head out of the protection he supplied for he and his brother to look out and see the soldiers wondering down the streets looking for them. Leo tensed watching them fling around the large AR's and other machine guns. This last run was worse then it has ever been.

He groaned quietly, twisting his body lightly. He knew he fractured something in his leg trying to carry he and Raphael out of the store attempting to escape and was feeling the pain now.

Thirty years, thirty years it's been like this. Running, hiding, fighting, hunting. A cycle that he or his brothers could never seem to break.

The foot found their home and destroyed it, and everything that was inside. He and his brothers defended it off as best as they could but understood there was no was of saving the lair. They tried to escape but the foot had them trapped. They were going to make it so it would tumble on top of them.

If it wasn't for Master Splinter, their father, they would have never had made it out. He distracted and fought off the foot so they can escape. Pleas and begs from the four turtles were heard but never responded as the underground lair crashed on top of Master Splinter and the remaining Foot Ninja who didn't have time to retreat.

Days they spent, digging, searching for the remains of their father but soon realized it was too late, their mentor was gone; lost. And so were they.

They spent days moving, attempting to find somewhere for shelter so they can regain their strength and mourn over the loss over the one thing they held dear. They each took a different stand point of the death of Master Splinter. Donatello kept his hands busy, getting a hold of anything he could and building small gadgets and gizmos, never speaking out his mind fearing of allowing his strongly built walls would come crashing down.

Raphael thrashed, yelled, and attacked at any given moment. Even worse he blamed them all for the destruction of their home and the loss of their sensei. His heart worn so tightly to his sleeve it was hard to predict the actions of the most emotional brother. They feared his explosions for the first few months, almost giving up their positions for they were still on the run from the foot.

Michelangelo was a different story, a complete polar opposite of Raphael. He remained quiet, isolating himself from the world and his brothers. For years, he distanced himself a little more, not wanting to have the connection with another person with the fear of their demise. He did what he was told, listened to every command like a machine, no emotion ever witnessed, never spoken of.

Leo struggled. He struggled with control, with understanding each of his brothers and their needs to heal. He was trained to perfection, command was second nature. But, with three broken souls to take charge with without the guidance of their father was something that Leonardo had ever trained for. Also, he was struggling himself. He too lost his sensei, the one being who put he and his brothers above everything else. But Leo knew as leader, he had to sacrifice that feeling of sadness, to put aside the mournful feeling of loss and keep moving forward; for his brothers he had to be strong.

They were found out, world wide they had become known. Because of this, they were hunted down. Hunted by the best skilled doctors, scientist, and even politicians wanted the glory of capturing the mutated freaks that lived in the sewers of Manhattan. They ran, everyday they moved farther and farther away.

At one point, they turned to April and Casey. Going to April's apartment, they found the door was opened. Leonardo got the sinking feeling of what might have happened to their friends. Donatello and Raphael ran up the stairs to the bedroom, ignoring the way the apartment was set up. The furniture was flipped and unorganized. The television was cracked and disabled. What caught Leo's attention was the blood smears on the walls and floor.

He felt something grip his arm. He looked to see Mikey standing next to him, gripping him tightly. His face plastered straight with his mouth in a grim line. Leonardo was able to usher Mikey to the bedroom to find April and Casey on the bed, pale, and bloodied. Raphael stood over Casey, fighting back every emotion he was feeling. Oh how all he wanted was to destroy the bastards who took away his best friend but not right now. Not when his friends were dead in front of him.

Leo looked to see Casey had something in his palm. He was able to peel Mikey off his arm and walk over to the lifeless form that was once his friend. He opened up the stiff hand, feeling the cold skin and puffy muscles. He observed the fabric that Casey clung to and to see it was a piece of the Foot's uniform. This was their fault. They came to Casey and April looking for them. They didn't know of their whereabouts and it ended up costing their lives.

Donatello was crouched down next to the bed, holding the limp hand of April in his more lively palm. He showed no emotion what so ever. This sent a shiver down Leo's spine. He knew perfectly well of the feelings his intelligent brother had towards their human friend. He was shock he wasn't showing more emotion then he was.

They left quickly, not wanting to attract any more attention for being in the complex. They hid in the shadows, together as one they made it around large numbers of people hunting them. They were able to achieve the necessities they needed and transfer from hiding place to another.

At one point they tried to leave the city, maybe hide in the old farm house. Military was barricading every way out of the city. They had nowhere to escape, no home, and slowly, they were losing their hope.

While the brothers ran and hid, the Shredder began to bring his empire into power, paying off politicians and congressmen and as the years progressed, the United States welcomed the new president Oroku Saki. Under his new order, he created slave labor, destruction to those who defied him. He became the dictator and promised who ever could bring the head of all four turtles, would be free.

Now, everyone was looking for them. They ran, ran for years. And within the shadows, they still saved, they still protected the innocent. They knew that they should never reveal themselves, and they would keep that promise. But, as their father had taught them, they are Ninja and they will protect.

Leo, distracted with keeping his family from being undetected, was oblivious to the actions of his brothers. Donatello in particular.

Donnie was the first they lost. His anger and frustration only build over the years. Losing Master Splinter and to find that he had lost April was enough to send him over the edge. He planned and plotted out his attack. He just needed to wait. He knew Leo would run out of places to go and would have to push the boundaries of the Foot headquarters. No, this plan wasn't going to solve their problems, and yes this will probably make everything worse. But Donnie didn't care. To him, they took everything away so he didn't care anymore.

And Donnie was right, they did get close. So, he snuck away. He made it to the outskirts of the Foot's quarters. He snuck passed the guards with much ease. He knew he had to be quick before his family came looking for him. He didn't want them here to see this. He needed to do this; alone.

He came to the edge of the building and pulled out a bomb. He had been working on this bomb, secret to his family so they wouldn't question his motives. He set the bomb up and dashed to the front of the building once more. He pulled out a little pen from his bag and on the pen was a button.

"Donnie!" He heard Leo calling his name. He saw the look of fear on his face. He was yelling at him, warning him. Don tuned all of it out, not listening to anything. The only thing he heard was the sound of the gun.

His body jerked forcefully, jolting from the sudden attack. He looked down and saw he was shot in the stomach. He looked up and saw the ninja standing there, ready to take another shot. Donnie turned and faced the man. His body was numb, he just needed to wait for the right time.

He heard his brothers yelling, could sense Raphael trying to come and take him and run. Leo was holding him back. Donatello knew that Leo understood. What Don did was to benefit, even if it meant sacrificing his life. Don, the intelligent, pacifist brother, the one that they turned to for technical answers, rose his hands up to his sides, welcoming the next shot.

One shot,

Then another,

and another after that. Donatello registered the pain but forced his hand to push the button. In one, quick moment in time, the building went up into flames just as Donatello hit the ground. Mikey, Raph, and Leo hit the floor, avoiding the flying debris of the building.

They waited, out of shock and fear. When they raised their heads, they saw The building engulfed by the flames, the ashes dancing freely in the howling wind. They ran to their fallen brother. Mikey skidded to his knees and stopped at Donnie's head, mouth gaped and eyes wide. Donnie lied their, eyes looking up at the sky, as if watching the spirits and stars perform. The blood dripped silently down from his mouth.

"D-Don.." Mikey croaked, trying to hold back his tears. Raphael paced, cursing out loud. He bit his knuckle and crouched down to the ground, sobbing harshly. Leo looked down at his diseased brother, heart clenching painfully tight. If only he had watched better, paid more attention to what Don was doing. He growled at himself and pinched his eyes shut.

They flew open at the sound of speeding trucks. He was able to convince Raphael to help him get Donatello's body. Together, they escaped down the ally with Michelangelo strolling behind.

They made it to the junkyard, where Donatello spent most of his days. They started a fire, and as quickly as the building went, so did Donatello's body. Leonardo was able to retrieve his brother's bandana, wrapping it tightly around his katana. With the of the farewells done, the remaining three took off.

They later found out that Donnie's stunt set off something. A sort of rebellion to say. People began to rise up, go against the foot and the army that had formed. But it still wasn't enough. Saki had sent his men over seas, taking over country after country. But this didn't stop the people. It also opened the turtle's eyes. They could fight this. Donatello showed them that.

For the next few years that is exactly what they did. They found rebels, planned, and attacked. Some were harder to find, Some even still convinced that they would be granted freedom if they turned over the mutants to the now announced ruler.

Michelangelo was sent off to lead a party to take down a barrack over by central park. It ended with half of the rebellion being shot down and Michelangelo severely wounded. He rasped for breath as he dragged himself down the darkened allies trying to find shelter. Because of his cold blooded gene, the icy air was becoming too much. It didn't help either that his abdomen was bleeding like a coursing river, painting his trembling fingers with red.

He came through an ally, stopping suddenly when he heard a loud crash. Peering over, keeping a close eye for an escape route if needed, he saw a little boy, no older then ten years old. He was huddled in between the cans, keeping himself close by tucking his knees under his chin. Mikey could see his brown eyes filled with tears as his body trembled. The boy had nothing more then a slick long sleeve shirt and raggy old pants. Mikey recognized the homeless, he saw the despair and desperation more often then not. He felt his vision begin to blur and knew deep down, there was no continuous on his life span.

With an almost tumble, He walked in front of the small boy. The child looked up and yelped in fear, huddling closer together. With shaky fingers, he took hold of the edge of his large, brown jacket and pulled it off his shoulder. He held it in front of himself for a second before going down on one knee and placing it over the shivering form's body. The boy looked up at the mutant confused, but snuggled closer into the over-sized jacket. Mikey smiled weakly.

"Do me a favor kid," He spoke, voice raspy with exhaustion, "Don't give up. No matter what." The boy nodded numbly at him, agreeing with his words. Mikey nodded in return before standing up and continuing his walk down the ally, leaving the boy to the last bit of warmth that Michelangelo could ever offer.

Leonardo and Raphael searched the town for the whereabouts of their youngest brother when he didn't return back to their shelter. Hours they spent looking, until they stumbled into a darkened ally. Leo could sense the uneasiness. He knew something was wrong with this. His keen senses caught something in the corner. He held back emotion and walked over to the odd lump of snow. He crouched down and started to wipe away the ice, revealing the pale, green skin of his missing brother. Leonardo sucked in a shaky breath, shutting his eyes. Raphael stood over him, looking down at the iced corpse that he called brother. Mikey's eyes, pale blue; lifeless by the look. But, he was smiling. His genuine smile still plastered on his face, even in death. Leo bit his lip and brought his hand up and shut his brother's eyes. Leo took note of the wound on his brother's plastron and could only assume he bled out before he froze to death.

With shaky movements, Raphael bent down next to Leo and rubbed a thumb over his youngest brother's face. He and Mikey were close, almost twins. Both with fire like personalities and unimaginable energy. To see his youngest brother taken from his made him see red. Raph tucked his hand under Mikey's cold knees and picked him up like a child.

Leo and Raph brought their brother to central park. They dug a hole deep enough to bury their brother in peace. Michelangelo loved to come to the park, enjoying the light feel of happiness and content that floated through the atmosphere every time he went. Together, they left the grave after taking the Orange bandana, and headed off back to their refuge.

Years passed, homes destroyed and more people killed. Full blown war had taken place between Oroku Saki and the rebellion with the help of Raphael and Leonardo. Leo helped to command and Raph, now full of rage of losing two of his siblings and his father, helped with the fighting, the killing, the things that they never spoke of. Leo recalled multiple times Raphael would return drenched with the enemies blood, never looking satisfied.

One night, they went on a run. Just he and Raph were going to simply break into the market, grab any remaining canned foods kept over by the foot, and get out to bring to the remaining people on their team. It was suppose to be simple, it was suppose to be fast. What Leo didn't expect was the store be filled with Foot Ninja waiting for their arrival.

They were cornered. They fought hard against the ninja with everything they had, the soldiers firing aimlessly at the turtle's with no real reasoning. They were able to keep it good, until Leo heard Raphael shout.

Leo turned to see Raphael on the floor, gasping. He ran to his brother's side, able to block the firing bullets with the counter. Raphael was shot on the side of the head and on the lower part of his pelvis. Leo scurried, picking up his brother and dragging him to the stairs that led to the low roof.

He made it to the top, tumbling trying to hold the weight of his brother. He heard the Ninja and the soldiers right behind them. They were catching up quickly and Leo was running out of options. He looked over to the side to see a dumpster. He knew he had to jump. And he did. Him and Raph fell roughly in the garbage. He grunted loudly, feeling a crunch in his leg. He knew he was getting too old for this. He got out first, hobbling on one leg for a moment, trying to regain feeling in his now injured leg.

He struggled slightly trying to get Raphael out since he was unresponsive but he succeeded. He struggled, but he was able to bring he and Raph to an underground bunker Donatello created years ago when they first were being hunted. In the small cavern were some basic first Aid and a few candles and matches. He got Raphael in and started to asses his injuries. The shot in the head was deep, but it didn't kill him right away. The one through his shell was deep, and bleeding heavily. Leo knew after years of experience, there was no way of taking care of the wound unless he removed the bullet. He couldn't do that because he didn't have the tools or the knowledge.

All Leo was capable of doing was wrapping the wounds, and give Raphael the support. Hours passed, the rain began to poor, and Leonardo thought. Thirty years they had spent, suffering, and clawing their way through the hatred of humans and the acceptance of the outcasts. What more have they done? The Shredder's empire was still high and powered, All their friends and family, destroyed by the Shredder. Leo listened to the rasping sound of Raphael's breathing, sensing his soon end. He failed his brother's all of them. If he paid more attention to Donnie, if he had accompanied Mikey, if he protected Raph, if he was stronger for Master Splinter; maybe everything would be different.

For the first time in so many years of frustrations and agony, Leo let a lone tear slip from his shut eye lids. He had no more energy to give, no reason.

"D-don't give up L-leo." Raph's voice floated through the air. Leo looked at Raph, his eyes shut, facing up towards the sky.

"D-don't.." His sentence was cut off my a wet cough. Leo winced at the sound, but allowed his brother's words to sink in. He shuddered at the sound of the stuttering sigh his brother gave, leaving his body limp. Leo processed his brother's death, thinking the last thing Raphael saw was the darkness, the shadowy fear of life's exsistance and the secrets it held in the corners.

Donatello saw fire, the burning rage of anger and ambiguity that was burned away by the hated, allowing his own hatred to grow and feed only to consume him in a heated blaze.

Michelangelo saw the snow, free and innocent falling down on the ashes of the sins, hiding them away behind something beautiful. Behind the smile was the aging innocence that could no longer bare it's own title.

Leonardo finally understood. He stood up in the small cavern, walking over and blowing out the candle, pulling an old wool blanket over Raphael's still form and took off his bandana. Quietly, he stepped out of the cavern and into the pouring rain. He wrapped the red bandana over the hilt of his katana, joining with the orange and purple that were previously housed there. He stood there for a while, both katanas out; till he saw a group of soldiers. No more thinking, no more planning, no more hiding.

Leo charged at the men, slicing his way through numerous amounts of bodies, feeling the blood splatter over his own body. The warm, sticky feeling reminding him of all his sins, being washed away by the rain. He watched as the soldier's DNA was stained on his brother's masks, claiming the hundreds of lives that were taken away from the war. He heard the sound of the guns, the shots being fired. His body pumped with too much adrenaline to fully process. He fought with everything he had left, until one final shot got him in the heart.

The world twisted and jumped in front of his eyes. His body went numb. Reluctantly, he let his katanas fall from his hands. His body thumped as he hit the floor. He was sprawled out, looking up at the falling streams of water, splashing him over and over again. All he could here was the sound of the high pitch scream of his blood rushing through his head.

He suddenly heard the mumbling noise of people yelling. The approaching soldiers were shot down beside Leo. He twisted his eyes slightly but not much. A figure came in front of him. A young man, maybe in his early twenties came in front of him. He was part of the rebellion. His brown eyes filled with worry and his large brown jacket coated with dirt and dry blood. He was telling Leo something but he could register it. He looked up at the sky and understood.

Thirty years he and his brothers over time have develop something that was lost; hope. They would become the legacy that would change the world. This boy, these people were the future, and Leo had faith in them that they could stop the Shredder, change the outcome of what Oroku Saki first planned. Leo looked up at the sky, the last thing he could see was the falling rain, washing away the shame and disgust, the guilt and the failure, replenishing the world with something new, fresh, and beautiful. It took thirty years to finally realize, Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo had meaning. Their meaning was the example, the fleeting attempts of redemption and safety. They were the hope of humanity. Their time was over, now the people must take charge and the four brothers could find happiness in another life filled with peace and prosperity. They may be gone, but will never be forgotten.

* * *

_**A:N/ One-shot for the 30**__**th**__** anniversary for the Ninja Turtle Franchise. It's not a fluff story that I really wanted to do but I'm so terrible with happy stuff :( But I hope you all enjoyed and please let me know how I did with your amazing reviews! **_


End file.
